A release is an immutable, deployable artifact that contains database changes. It serves as the database equivalent of a Docker image in modern CI/CD pipelines.

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Overview

In Bytebase’s GitOps workflow, a release is automatically created when changes are merged to your main branch. It packages all SQL migration files into a single deployable unit that can be progressively rolled out across your database environments.

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Key Characteristics

• Immutable - Once created, a release cannot be modified, ensuring deployment consistency
• Version-controlled - Each release is tied to a specific VCS commit for full traceability
• Environment-agnostic - The same release can be deployed across test, staging, and production
• Auditable - Complete history of creation, deployment, and rollback operations
• Idempotent - Bytebase automatically detects and skips already applied migrations, preventing duplicate executions

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Benefits

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Consistency

The same release deployed to test is exactly what gets deployed to production - no manual SQL copying or modification.

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Idempotent Deployment

Bytebase tracks which migrations have been applied to each database. When deploying a release:

• Already applied migrations are automatically skipped
• Only new migrations are executed
• Safe to re-deploy the same release multiple times
• No risk of duplicate schema changes or data corruption

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Compliance

• Every change is reviewed before release creation
• Deployment requires appropriate approvals
• Full audit trail for regulatory requirements

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Integration

Releases integrate seamlessly with existing CI/CD tools, treating database changes with the same rigor as application deployments.